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Many of us don`t have an idea of how challenging the life of an immigrant is. Many times in the past, I thought that living in a country other than your own was an easy task. However, once I experienced this myself I started to have a different perspective.

I`ve been living in the USA for almost three years now, but I`m still not used to being here. When you are in a new land the process of adaptation is long. You have many factors that make the process harder. Language, being away from your family and friends, culture, customs, prejudice. It`s a long list.

Personally, two things affect me the most. First is the language. When I got to the USA, I could not speak English. During these three years, I have tried hard to be immersed in the language and gradually I feel that I`m making some progress. Many times now I talk to myself in English and my dreams are in English. I feel that it’s a little weird but I can`t remember the last time I dreamed in Portuguese.

However, I don’t think that even with all my effort my English is good enough and because of that I feel at a disadvantage in the job market place. I have some breakdowns now and then because of all I have to do to keep up with the language. The stress just increased since I started going to Grad. school. Sometimes I feel that I`m torturing myself. But I know that in the end I will have a happy future.

The second thing I want to mention is family. I miss them every single day. It`s so hard being far away from my family. The last time I saw my little sister I could not believe how big she was. When I left my home she was just this little girl and now she is a teenager. When you realize that you are not part of this change it hurts.

But don`t fool yourself and think that my life is horrible and you should never try to do something different in your life. Many good things happened to me since I moved here. I left many special people but I also meet special ones. And all the difficulties I`ve been through made me a better person.

The change and the unknown can be scary sometimes but don`t let this get in your way. Let the wind take you away to new places and bigger dreams.

4 Responses

Immigration is, in a way, very stimulating, because you are exposed to new info all the time. It is also tough, because you have to fight to preserve your own culture and background. I immigrated twice – first to Paris, now to New Mexico – and I understand you perfectly. Good luck in this journey!